How many fathers, members of the National Guard, are going to Iraq? How many have died leaving fatherless children? And why is the National Guard, formed to help their states and others in times of natural disaster, being sent to fight a war overseas?

But more importantly why is there so little outcry when these men are sent to kill and be killed in an illegal war? And why is there no outrage when they come home, dead or horribly wounded, or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the horrors they have observed and participated in? And many more will die a slow death from depleted uranium. And President Bush has stopped all reconstruction of that destroyed country. And funds for veterans have been cut.

The final bill for this war will be in the trillions. Yet like the Germans during World War II, most of us remain silent.

Jane Sanford

Belfast